


My Jolly Sailor Bold

by kappa77



Category: MindCrack
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Implied Off-Screen Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 12:58:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kappa77/pseuds/kappa77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Conversing with a young lass<br/>Who seemed to be in pain,<br/>Saying, William, when you go<br/>I fear you'll ne'er return again.</p>
<p>My heart is pierced by Cupid<br/>I disdain all glittering gold<br/>There is nothing can console me<br/>But my jolly sailor bold."</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Jolly Sailor Bold

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer- This is a work of fiction. Kurt and Vechs are the only "real" characters here. All others are made up for this work.

As Kurt lay floating, in the middle of the freezing ocean, half of his body sprawled on top of one of the largest pieces of shrapnel he could find, his legs dangling into the ocean, the fresh bullet wound only just out of the water, the only thing he could think of was "damn these pirates".

  
Because pirates were to blame for most things in his life, really.   
  
When he was 10, his father's merchant ships were sunk by pirates, sinking all of the goods and leaving his family with almost no money. His father left soon thereafter, never to talk with either him or his mother again.  
  
When he was 16, pirates raided the village he and his mother were living in at the time. Again, they lost all their money, but they weren’t harmed. They never did manage to get back on their own two feet after that.  
  
When he was 24, he left his mother in the care of a nursing home and took a job on a merchant ship to pay for the expenses.

When he was 27, word had traveled across the Atlantic that pirates had raided the town were the nursing home was located. In the chaos, the nursing home had apparently crumbled. There was no word on who had survived, but Kurt could tell, in his gut, that he was alone.  
  
And now, at the age of 30, pirates had attacked the ship and absolutely destroyed it. The ship was unrecognizable, completely ruined. Many people had been taken captive or simply shot. Kurt didn't even know how he was alive at this point, the last 36 hours were a complete blur. The only thing he remembered was the burning, horrid smell of gun powder, the loud, metallic sound of clashing of swords, then the sudden cold slap of ocean water against his whole body, and finally, the sharp pain of finally feeling the shot in his leg, now full of salt water.  
  
Kurt looked back at the wound in his leg. It was just above the water and looked as nasty as it did when he looked last, whenever that was. It definitely wasn’t a clean shot (when he first tried to move his leg, he was sure he felt the bullet) and he thought he saw some bone the last time he looked, but it wasn’t like he was looking that hard.

The sound of splashing water drew his attention away from his leg.

“I wonder what the likelihood is that that’s a rescue party and not a shark...” he muttered to himself.

In truth, it wasn’t very high. He tended kept to himself while he was on the ship, so no one would be looking for him. Only once did he actually have long conversations with a person, but that person had left the crew a year ago when his wife had given birth.

 Another splash brought him out of his thoughts, this time much closer. Kurt clamped his eyes shut and tightened his grip on the piece of wood he was floating on, desperately hoping for whatever was out there to deliver him a swift death.

He felt the wood dip slightly in the opposite direction. _Someone’s leaning on the wood._

The wood shifted even more and, in a moment of stupidity, he slowly opened his eyes. Instead of seeing rows of sharp teeth or the barrel of a pistol or even another ship, he saw short, black hair and the brightest pair of green eyes he probably would ever see. He opened his eyes fully and saw that he wasn’t hallucinating; there really was a man with pale skin, black hair, and bright green eyes leaning against his piece of wood. 

He knew that he should be asking something along the lines of “Who are you?” or “Where’s your ship?” or even “Why are you here?” but the only thing that Kurt managed to say was,

“It’s you, isn’t it? The merman.”

The merman nodded, his tail flicking up out of the water briefly. It was too quick, but Kurt still knew that the merman’s tail was a gorgeous silver with red trimming on each and every scale. A small smile formed on the merman’s face. “Yep, it’s me. And I think you need my help now, huh?”

Kurt nodded dumbly, his mind not focused on the pain he was still feeling or the merman in front of him, but on their first and only encounter until this point.

_The captain of the ship had been negotiating trade options at a port in the West Indies while most of the crew got drunk in the nearby town. It had been Kurt’s birthday, so he decided to indulge by going into town, something he rarely did when they made port._

_He was merely walking around the streets when he saw a large group of people circled around one man in the center of the town square. The man was talking in a loud voice and looking very smug. With tattoo covered arms that rivaled the one Kurt had, he was gesturing at something by his feet. Kurt walked closer and was about to hear more of the man’s speech._

_“’e was very ‘ard to catch, but me and my crew, we was able to outwit ‘im ‘nd haul ‘im back on t’ me ship and let me tell ye ‘ow much fun we ‘ad wit him when we got there.”_

_Loud, obnoxious laughter erupted from the crowd as Kurt made his way to the front. When he reached the front, he couldn’t contain his gasp._

_There was a low table on the ground and on top of it, was what looked like a glass coffin filled with water. Inside the coffin, was something Kurt didn’t even think existed…_

_A mermaid, nay, a mer_ man _. A hissing, scared, and very_ beautiful _merman was locked in the coffin, clawing at the lid, no doubt wanting to get out and maul the man who put him in there._

_The man must have noticed Kurt’s staring because he then said, “You like, huh? Can’t say I blame you, ‘e is very pretty.” The man glazed down at the merman. The merman turned away. He continued talking, “Sadly, we are leaving tomorrow, hopefully to make a pretty penny for him in America.”_

_Several people in the crowd yelled, claiming they were willing to pay whatever the cost was for the merman. The man jumped off of his perch to see if these men were really telling the truth. With the tale now over, people began leaving and the merman turned around to face where the crowd was just. The merman glanced around nervously then looked up to where Kurt was still standing._

_It was almost unnoticeable, but Kurt was able to make out the merman’s lips forming the words, “Help. Me.”_

_Kurt’s heart thudded in his chest as he glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention. He turned back to the merman and mouthed, “Tonight.”_

_The merman nodded quietly as Kurt turned to leave, heart still beating fast. He wasn’t used to doing something illegal, but this… he had a good feeling about breaking the mythical merman from his glass coffin._

_“Now just to figure out how to do it,” he thought to himself._

_The answer, it turned out, was pretty easy. All it took was a cloth large enough to cover the glass box, one person from the crew who would do anything to please the captain, and a convincing enough lie. Kurt didn’t feel confident when he said that the captain needed one more piece of cargo loaded up on to the ship, but it must’ve worked because that night, he and the other crew member were carrying the glass box (now covered with the cloth) through the town and onto the docks. They lowered the box onto the wooden docks and Kurt lied again, saying he’d double check that the cargo was safe and secure while the other man could go sleep. Thankfully, he listened again and it was just Kurt on the docks with the merman in the box._

_He ripped the cloth off the top and was glad to find the merman unscathed, if a bit annoyed. He ignored the look and set to trying to open the lid. The lock was like no one Kurt had ever seen and the lid seemed like it was clamped shut._

_There seemed no other way to open the box other than to break the box._

_He tried to warn the merman, but the merman didn’t seem to understand because when Kurt pushed the box off the docks and into the water, the merman only looked more annoyed. Thankfully, the merman got the message when Kurt got his pistol out because the merman moved out of the way just enough to give Kurt enough room to shoot the lid and not hurt the merman. After two shots, the merman was able to push the lid up and off and was finally free._

_When the merman was in the ocean, Kurt was sure it would disappear immediately and he’d never see it again, but instead, it just ducked his head in the water once, then resurfaced. He put his arms on the docks and motioned for Kurt to come closer._

_Even though Kurt had heard practically every song and tale of mermaids and how they dragged seamen to the depths of the ocean to drown, he knelt down on the docks._

_The merman pulled himself up, so they were almost eye level and said, “So, what do I owe my jolly sailor bold for rescuing me?”_

_Kurt blinked, not fully understanding the question. He had never heard of a mermaid, or merman for that matter, ever being_ grateful _or_ repaying _a sailor for their actions, but then again, maybe no one had ever done this for a merman._

_“N-Nothing. You own me nothing,” he said hastily._

_The merman grinned, showing pointed teeth, but somehow, Kurt didn’t feel threatened by them. “I’ll repay my debt to you later then, when you do need my help, okay?”_

_He could only nod, still not comprehending their conversation. The merman nodded in return and pressed a chaste kiss to Kurt’s cheek softly before disappearing into the water._

_Kurt stayed in that position at the docks for what felt like forever before finally returning to the ship._

He was brought out of his train of thought by the merman clearing his throat.

“So, do you want my help? I- I can take the pain away, if only for a moment. I can make these few moments… some of your happiest if you just. Say. Yes.”

Kurt knew his mind was made up way before the merman started talking. He may have even made his mind up when the merman first kissed him. But he knew he had to know something before he said it.

“What’s your name?” he whispered.

The merman looked confused for a moment before smiling and replying, “My name is Vechs.”

“Well Vechs,” Kurt said, grip loosening on the board, “My answer is yes.”

The last thing he felt before he was completely submerged in the cold, dark ocean below was a pair of warm lips on his.


End file.
